Improvement in vehicle-seats



4 SheetsSheet 1.

J. W. LAWRENCE.

VEHICLE-SEAT.

Patented May 16, 1876.

No.'177,5Z6.

W II I I HI HHHHHH WITNESSES Q X. M

flttorney N'PETERS PHOTD-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D. Q

4 SheetsSh,eet 2. J. .W. LAWRENCE.

VEHICLE-SEAT. v No.177,526. Patented May'lB, 1876.

WITNESSES N, PETERS, PHO'TWLITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. O

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. W. LAWRENCE.

' VEHICLE-SEAT.

*N0.177,5Z6. Patented May16,1876.

N. PETERS, PNOTO-UTMOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D C.

- 4Sheets-Sheet4. "J. w. LAWRENCE.

. v VEHICLE-SEAT. No.'177',5Z'6. Patented May16, 1876.

IN V'EN TOR WITNESSES zzawwz G W 7.

Aftorn ey IL PETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

U ED ST T-Es;

JOHN- w. LAWRENCE, or nhnniseone, PENNSYLVANIA.

- IMPROVEMENT I'N VEHICLE-SEATS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 177,526, dated May 16, 1876; application filed March 1 1, 1876.

Toatl whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, JNo. W. LAWRENCE,

of Harrisburg, ,in the county of Dauphin and- State of Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Shifting'j Seats for Vehicles and I do hereby declare {that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying.drawings and to theletters ofreference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

The nature of my invention ,consists in the construction and arrangement of shifting seats Fig. 4 is a similar section, showing the seats in position as a one-seated vehicle. Fig. 3 shows my invention applied to three-seated vehicles. Fig. A is a perspective view of the front seat. Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 6 shows the locking device for the front seat.

A representsthe box or body of a vehicle, and B is the back seat thereof. On top of each bottom side rail A of the body A is secured a metal plate or casting, 0, having near each end, on its upper side, two ears, 0!, a, between which the seat leg or support D is pivoted. In the center of the plate or casting O are formed two inclined arms, G O, as shown.

Each of the seat-supports D is formed on its inner side, near the upper end, with an arm, D which extends inward and upward, as shown.

On the under side of the seat B, near each end, is secured a rectangular metal frame, E, provided at or near each corner with two ears,

I; b, and to these ears are pivoted the upper,

ends of the supports D and their arms D so that the seat has four points of support at each end.

The seat B can be thrown backward to adapt the vehicle-body to two seats, or. be

body A..

thrownforward to adapt the body to onerseat.

In either case the seat is notsupported upon the sides of the body A, but oneof thezlegs or supports-D on each side rest against, and is supported by, one of the inclined arms 0, as fully shown in the drawing,,thereby taking 0% any undue weight from the sides of the ""TGLI'BPIQ'SQHDS the front seat, provided on its 'under-sidefhear each. end,-with the same me i tallic frame E asw'iegribed for the seat 13;.

and the ,legsor supports D for saidfront seat are formed at their upper endswith arms D in the same manner, and all pivoted to'the cars of the frames E. The lower ends of the supports D are, however, on their inner sides, provided with hubs d, which are inserted in hollow bosses 6, formed upon a plate or casting, H, secured'on the inside of the side rail A, and held thereto by a bolt or rivet, f, said bolt or rivet being fastened before the casting H is secured to the side rail.

The seat G has three positions: It may be turned down on the bottom of the body A, backward, when the back seat is to be thrown forward over the same, and the vehicle used with one sea-t only; 'or it can be turned down forward, to. beused as a childs seat, when the back seat may be thrown forward or backward, as desired; or the front seat Gr may be raised and used as an ordinary seat, when the .seat B is to be thrown backward and the vehi cle used for two seats, or for four persons. 1 In this latter case the front seat Gr is lockedin position at each end by means of a locking-bolt, I, notched in the center, and having an inclined face on each side of the notch. This bolt is pressed, by means of a coiled spring,i, over the inner or lower end. of the arm D at its junction with the leg or support D.

It will readily be seen that on account of the inclined faces of the bolt it is self-locking; no matter which way the seat is turning, either forward or backward, when it arrives to the proper elevated position it locks itself.

The bolts Lar pivoted to arms hh, projecting fronrarocking shaft, h under the seat and it is upon these arms that the coil-springs '1; act to press the bolts downward, The arms h are, at their rear ends, provided with thum pieces G attached to sliding bars G G in the seat, and these bars are, by links or bars G connected with a lever, G on the lazy-tongs principle, said lever being-pivoted to the under side of the seat. By turning this lever the end pieces G are moved out or in, thus expanding or contracting the seat, according as it is to be elevated for use or turned down in the bottom of the vehicle.

To the bars G at each end, and on top of the seat, is attached-an L-shaped casting, J, to the upper end of which is hinged the back J, said casting and back thus moving with theend pieces G when the same are moved, as above described. I

The same invention may be applied to a three or four seat vehicle. In Fig. 3 I have shown itapplied to a vehicle having three seats. In this case the front seat is precisely the same as the front seat above described,

and the middle and rear seats. are both. like 7 the back seat above described; but these two laifir seats are connected by bars L L, as

shown, so as to be moved together when changing from a six to a four passenger vehiole, and vice versa.

Having thus fnlLy describ'ed my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The locking-bolts I, provided with notches and inclines, as described,in combination with the supports D with their arms D substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. The combination ofthe bolts I, arms h, coilsprings z, rocking shaft h and thumb-pieces h substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth. v 3. In combination with the shifting seat G, the movable end pieces G sliding bars G connecting-bars G and lever G substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4:. The castings J and hinged backs J, in combination with the sliding bars G and movable cnd pieces G, substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, JOHN W. LAWRENCE. Witnesses: 4

JIB. SPIEsE, J. F. WILLIAMS. 

